The Girl in the White Dress
by TheNarator
Summary: AU. What if the Host Club hadn't realized Haruhi was a girl? Now, when Tamaki encounters a beautiful and mysterious girl who quickly enchants the entire Host Club, what will they do when she says she comes to the club every day! Tamaharu
1. Tamaki

**Author's Note:** Hello peoples. I know that Naruto and Ouran High School Host Club have two very different target audiences, so not many of my usual readers will care for this one. Still, I like Ouran, and when inspiration struck who was I to say no? So, here it is, my very first Ouran High School Host Club Fanfiction! I messed with Haruhi's character a bit, and of course I made the entire Host Club legally blind, but there you go. I hope you all enjoy!

**Chapter 1: Tamaki**

_You will be my wings,_

_You will be my only love_

_You will take me far beyond the stars._

She twirled around the gazebo, singing softly to herself. The swish of the white dress, plain as it was, made her feel flighty and rather feminine, though she rarely put stock in such things. The fake ponytail in her hair tickled her shoulders as she swayed.

_You will be my wings,_

_You will take me high above,_

_Everything we're dreaming of will soon by ours._

She giggled, again something she rarely did. Suddenly she began to understand why her dad dressed this way, and why he'd given her the dress she now wore. It was fun.

_Anything that we desire_

_Anything at all_

_Everyday you'll take me higher . . ._

She trailed off here. She was standing at the edge of the raised floor of the gazebo, on her tiptoes with both arms wrapped around herself tightly as she stared, or had been staring, dreamily off into the clear blue sky. The sound of her own voice had startled her into realizing just how loudly she had been singing.

"And I'll never let you fall?"

Haruhi Fujioka jumped. She spun around, eyes searching frantically for the source of the familiar voice, but then immediately they shot to the floor as she put up a hand to shield her face.

"Is that the next line, Princess?" murmured Tamaki Suoh softly. He stepped fully under the shade of the gazebo's roof, looking curiously at the girl before him. "What's the matter?" he asked, his voice the same melodic simper he used on the girl at the Host Club.

Haruhi's heart hammered. She knew her face must be bright red, and she refused to look Tamaki in the eye. What if he recognized her? Oh god, if he found out she was a girl, maybe he wouldn't let her be a host anymore! She'd have to pay off her debt working as the club's dog again, and who knew how long that would take! She pressed her lips together to try and force down a whimper, almost squeaking with fright.

Why, _why_ had she decided to try on this dress at school!

"Tamaki-senpai!" she forced out, more to stop herself from hyperventilating through her nose than anything else. "I didn't . . . what are you doing here?"

"I was drawn by the voice of an angel," he replied calmly, and she could practically see his eyes misted over with charm and feigned rapture. "May I see her?"

"What?" Haruhi asked, not quite understanding the meaning behind his words.

He chuckled softly. "You, Princess," he clarified, "may I see your face? Look at me?"

"No!" she said, a little too quickly, then bit her tongue harshly. What the hell was she thinking, she had no way to explain an answer like that!

Tamaki, however, seemed to mistake her fear for shyness. "Well, if I can't see the beautiful angel, may I hear her?" he bargained playfully. "Would you finish the song, please Princess? Sing, just a little more?"

Haruhi bit her lip, thinking. If she sang a bit more, she might distract him from asking why she wouldn't show her face. She turned her back to him, straightening and looking out over the green lawn beside the school. Swaying slightly, she began again.

_Anything that we desire_

_Anything at all_

_Everyday you'll take me higher_

_And you'll never let me fall._

She began to twirl some, her confidence returning as she sang sweet and strong. It helped to calm the frantic racing of her heart, and she felt as though she was regaining some control. She dared to spin a little closer to Tamaki.

_You will be my wings_

_Leave behind the world I know_

_For another world of wondrous things_

_We'll see the universe_

_And dance on Saturn's rings_

_I'll fly with thee, and . . ._

"and I will be your wings."

If Haruhi had thought her face had been red before, it was positively scarlet now. Her heart had picked up its slowed pace again, this time twice as fast as before, and she felt that she couldn't breath.

As she'd spun closer and closer to Tamaki he had apparently taken advantage of her absentmindedness. She'd dropped her guard, and almost immediately he'd grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her tightly into his arms. She stared at his chest, not daring to look him in the eye, as terror gripped her tightly. This was it. It was all over. He'd recognize her instantly and then she'd go back to being his little errand piglet.

She shut her eyes tightly, willing him not to . . .

"There Princess, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Haruhi's eyes snapped open and she stared at his chest in front of her face, blinking in confusion. Did he not recognize her? Did he really not see that it was her?

Tamaki brushed one knuckle lightly against her hair, making her heart jump at the simple touch, and she finally looked up into his face. His eyes widened somewhat, and for a moment something flashed within them that Haruhi couldn't quite catch. Then his expression melted back to the usual one of pure, shameless seduction.

"Such loveliness," he sighed, as though entranced by the sight of her, "such perfection should not be hidden my dear. How could you think to hide this from me, when I am but the humble servant of girls of such beauty?"

Whatever small degree of his usual spell had settled over Haruhi evaporated instantly. Of course, she thought bitterly, eyes drifting dejectedly off to one side. To Tamaki she was just another pretty face. Another girl for him to woo for his own amusement, and make swoon to feed his ego.

Tamaki Suoh was a prince. He was raised to be charming, not sincere.

No wonder he didn't recognize her.

By her expression Tamaki seemed to gather that he'd done something wrong. "What's wrong now Princess?" he asked worriedly, searching the girl's face for some hint as to how he'd offended her. "I'm sorry if I presumed to steal a look at you, but I simply had to see your face. Would I ask too much, now, to have your name?"

"You don't know?" Haruhi asked, still incredulous that he didn't recognize her at all. All these past few weeks, hell just yesterday, he'd been raving about how adorable she was as a boy. Did the dress and the ponytail really make her look that different?

Tamaki blinked, confused. "Should I?" he asked.

"Well . . ." Haruhi trailed off. She wasn't about to draw attention to her real identity, but she couldn't believe he really didn't recognize her at all, at least that she looked _familiar_.

Tamaki's eyes widened, and for a moment Haruhi's heart stopped, thinking he'd remembered her face at last. However, in the next moment he released her shoulders and grasped both her hands instead, bringing them in front of him and looking imploringly into her eyes.

"Oh Princess forgive me!" he cried, looking positively anguished. "Is that it! Have we met before? Are you upset because I don't remember you?"

Suddenly his look softened into one of genuine confusion. "But . . . I'm sure I've never seen you before today, how could I forget such beautiful eyes?"

"Um," Haruhi said dumbly, not really sure how to respond.

Luckily she was quite literally saved by the bell. The great, deep bell in the clock tower boomed out over the grounds, signaling that they had fifteen minutes before break was over.

Tamaki looked down at her, his eyes still deeply pained. "I guess this means our brief meeting is over, Princess," he sighed, "but I can't simply leave you after such an injury. Meet me here again, this time tomorrow?"

"I can't," said Haruhi automatically, desperate to escape before her true identity was revealed. She tried to pull away, but Tamaki held fast to her hands, pulling her back against his chest.

"I'm afraid I simply can't accept that answer," he said, just as desperately. "I cannot leave a young lady so grievously offended with no chance to make it up to her. I won't let you leave until you promise to meet me here again!"

"Fine, fine," Haruhi conceded, tugging at Tamaki's death grip, "I promise. Just let go, I have to get to class!"

"Of course, Princess," Tamaki replied, releasing her hands at once. "Until tomorrow then, my lovely, lovely angel."

Haruhi turned and bolted from the gazebo, running as fast as she could across the green lawn and inside the school building, not stopping until she reached the bathroom where she'd left her bag. Quickly she ran into a stall, detaching the ponytail and stripping out of the white dress, stuffing them into her bag and pulling out her boy's uniform. She fumbled putting it on, cursing slightly as the buttons evaded her shaking fingers, but at last she was dressed and running swiftly down the hall, stumbling into her next class just as the bell rang again.

-Later-

Haruhi approached the Host Club that afternoon with apprehension. Before coming she'd gone back to the bathroom she'd changed in earlier (it was by a seldom used entrance so no one ever went in any more) and looked at herself in her boy's uniform long and hard in the mirror. Did she really look that much like a boy in these clothes? She knew she was a bit flat-chested, that was something that she'd always known but had never really bothered her, but really, was all that distinguished a girl really either a skirt or breasts?

No. There was no way. Tamaki was bound to recognize her this time, and then it would really be all over. Or he would want to know why she'd been out cross-dressing, but somehow that outcome didn't seem too likely. If nothing else her breasts were still existent, though small and well confined within the tight dress shirt, and surely if he saw her in her underwear he'd realize the truth of the matter.

Still, that didn't change the fact that, if Tamaki looked into her eyes, she was in for it. She'd have to admit that she'd lied (though really they had presumed it all, she hadn't said a word) and of course there was the bit about having to pay off her debt as a dog, a task with a far less well defined end than doing so as a host.

Thankfully Tamaki had no extravagance planned for today, and so she was able to get away with sneaking off to a corner of the room without greeting him and letting him explain his latest getup. Promptly four girls gathered about her and began to simper and fuss over her, and she let herself become absorbed in the idle conversation of the Host Club girls.

_Breath_, she told herself, _just breath_. Tamaki couldn't recognize her if he didn't see her. She'd just avoid him until she'd racked up enough requests, and then get out as fast as she could.

Of course there was no way she was going to keep her promise about going to see him again. After all, it was a promise he'd forced out of her, and really, it would be good for him to not get something he wanted for a change. It was his fault she was in this mess anyway, if he hadn't practically attacked her, weeks ago on the first day of school, and forced her to back into the pedestal she wouldn't have broken the stupid vase in the first place.

He could wait outside all afternoon for all she cared.

Haruhi tipped the teapot over one of the girls' cups, only to have the stream of liquid stop with the cup only half full.

"Looks like we're out of tea," she observed, setting the pot down on the nearby tray and moving to stand, "I'll go get us some more. Be right back ladies."

"Oh get us a new tea set too Haruhi," insisted one, putting her cup on the tray as well as the others followed suit, "I'm getting bored with this one."

Haruhi suppressed a sigh, smiled and nodded. Though she would have liked to point out that it was utterly snobbish to change tea sets just because they were bored and that it was a waste of tea to just abandoned the four full cups, five counting her own, she simply picked up the tray and headed over to the table where another six or seven sat ready, teapots full and china teacups gleaming.

"Whats the matter with you boss?" asked Hikaru from somewhere off to Haruhi's left. She paused and glanced over to see Tamaki reclining alone on an out-of-the-way sofa, the twins peering at him from behind it.

"Yeah, you look even more lovesick than usual," Kaoru continued, poking at Tamaki's cheek.

"Can you really blame me?" Tamaki sighed, his eyes glazed over dreamily, "I met an angel today."

"Where is she?" Hikaru asked, looking around the room with minimal interest.

"Not here!" insisted Tamaki with a wave of his hand, as though to dismiss the very idea, looking slightly annoyed. "I met her outside on the grounds, singing to the sky in a distant corner of the lawn."

"Sounds kinda batty," Kaoru commented, the twins raising their eyebrows in perfect unison.

"She was an angel!" Tamaki insisted, rounding angrily on the twins, his lighthearted mood evaporating with comical speed. "She was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen, with the voice of an angel sent from heaven! A mysterious princess who wouldn't give her name and barely let me see her face! The girl in the white dress who stole my heart! She was . . . my very own Cinderella!"

Tamaki sank back down onto the sofa with a dreamy sigh.

"So she ran away from you?"

"WHAT?" Tamaki demanded, rounding on Hikaru, who was the one who had spoken.

"Well an integral part of the Cinderella scenario," began Hikaru, holding up a finger smartly.

"Is that the girl must run away from the boy at some point, making the boy go and find her." Kaoru finished, mirroring his twin.

Tamaki pouted, hesitating a moment.

"Well," he began grudgingly, "the bell did ring in the middle of our conversation, so yes, she did have to leave somewhat quickly."

"So she ran away from you!" the twins finished together, smiling triumphantly.

"That's not the point!" Tamaki shrieked.

"Tamaki!" called a high, feminine voice from somewhere behind Haruhi. Tamaki turned to look in Haruhi's direction, following the sound, and Haruhi immediately ducked down, turning her face away from him as she darted for the table.

Grabbing the first tray she saw, she bent her head over it, trying to hide her blush while she attempted to force it down. Her head was spinning.

Most beautiful girl he'd ever seen? An angel sent from heaven? A mysterious princess? The girl who stole his heart?

His very own Cinderella?

A pair of hands closed over the other ends of the tray handles she was holding, not touching her own hands but clearly trying to take the tray from her. She looked up, a bit upset . . .

to see Tamaki lifting his head just in time to meet her eyes.

Haruhi's heart stopped. A burning cold swept through her as adrenaline poured into her veins, and an almost violent shiver wracked her body. Her vision seemed to tunnel, zeroing in on Tamaki's eyes as they gazed deeply into her own.

"Haruhi," he said, seemingly in a husky whisper.

This was it, it was all over. He'd find out his beloved mystery princess was just plain old boring Haruhi, and then she'd really be Cinderella, doing menial chores for these rich snobs for who knew how long! Surely, he'd look into her eyes and see that she . . .

"I'm sorry, did you want this tea set?"

Haruhi stared at him blankly for a moment, her brain struggling to comprehend what had been said. He hadn't sprang back in disgust and horror. Nor had he leaped into the air and declared her his mysterious princess Cinderella. He'd simply spoken to her as if . . .

as if she were just a member of the Host Club. Haruhi wasn't sure whether to be relieved or incredulous.

He _still_ didn't recognize her.

Haruhi forced her mind back to the present situation. "Yeah," she said at last, "but I can pick another one if . . ."

"No that's fine," Tamaki cut her off, picking up the tray beside hers instead, "it doesn't matter to me."

Haruhi turned to watch him walk back to the congregation of girls in his usual spot at the center of the room. Typical Tamaki, always wanting to be the center of attention. Still, he seemed a little bit better today. Somewhat more . . . subdued. Calmer.

Haruhi smiled a bit to herself as she carried the tray back to her own congregation. Maybe Tamaki had finally grown up a bit. Maybe he was actually more mature than he let on. Maybe, just maybe, he was the kind of guy she might actually consider going to meet with in some private corner, if only just once.

"Princesses, your loveliness blinds me! Oh how can I sit here surrounded by such radiance and be expected to keep my eyesight! Still, I simply cannot tear my eyes away!"

Or maybe not.

**Author's Note:** Soooooo, how'd I do! Aside from tweaking Haruhi's character a bit, I tried to capture both Tamaki's romantic side and his goofy side. So what do you think? Did I pull it off? Pweez tell me!


	2. The Twins

**Author's Note:** Hello peoples! Thankies for all the reviews (I didn't expect as many as I got, but you guys made me so happy!) Here we have ch 2, in which the Twins get a good dose of Haruhi's awesomeness.

**Chapter 2: The Twins**

Haruhi stood in the unused bathroom again during break, looking at herself in the mirror again. She was still wearing her boy's uniform, but she had again attached the fake ponytail. She turned her head side to side, so she could see it more clearly. Did it really make her look that feminine? She took off the blazer and loosened the white shirt underneath, allowing her small chest to protrude. It lifted the fabric only slightly, but noticeably. The big, baggy sweatshirt she'd worn on the first day of school would have hidden her chest just as well as the constricting dress shirt. Was the difference really that big?

She looked at her watch. It was five minutes into an hour long break. Tamaki shouldn't be at the gazebo yet, his classroom was far away, while hers was right near the bathroom and the entrance. That was actually how she'd wound up finding this place, trying to duck the twins as they left class so she could get a bit of studying done before she had to be at the Host Club. She glanced down at her bag, sitting innocently at her feet, a bit of white fabric peeking from the corner.

She wasn't going to go meet Tamaki. She wasn't. He'd forced her to promise, he'd gotten her into this mess with the Host Club, he was not the type of person she wanted to get involved with, the kind of person she could trust. He was no good for her, nothing good would come of getting more involved with him than she absolutely had to. Even considering what he said, it didn't matter, he was fickle and untrustworthy. Tomorrow he'd give the exact same list of compliments to some other girl, maybe he already had!

And yet somehow she found herself outside in the bright sunshine, her white dress flowing behind her as she made briskly for the gazebo.

It wouldn't be right to just leave him out there, she told herself as she walked. Admittedly what he'd done to her hadn't been exactly right either, but she wasn't going to stoop to his level. She had promised, even if it had been at clock-hand point, and she wasn't the kind of girl to break a promise. She'd just go and tell him that she didn't need him to make up for anything, she didn't care and didn't want any more to do with him.

When she reached the gazebo she looked around anxiously for Tamaki. He was nowhere in sight, and as she stepped into the cool of the shade she sighed dejectedly. Of course. She spent all that time and energy thinking and worrying about Tamaki wanting her to get involved with him, and here he'd already forgotten about her.

She leaned against one of the pillars holding up the roof, wondering what to do next. Should she wait? What would be the point? He'd probably forgotten, or had just promised to meet her again to be, who knew, nice or something. Then again, he had been pretty adamant about her coming back. Why go to all the trouble if he didn't intend to show up anyway? Maybe . . .

"Been waiting long, Princess?"

Haruhi jumped and spun around. Tamaki had one hand on the other side of the pole she'd been leaning on, peering around it into the gazebo.

"Tamaki-senpai!" she said automatically, clutching at her heart.

Tamaki blinked, then smiled slightly. "I'm sorry Princess," he apologized, his voice and eyes misted over with seduction, "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"You startled me, is all," Haruhi insisted shakily, straightening and brushing off her skirt.

"It seems all I do is apologize to you," Tamaki sighed, looking at her with an overly sorrowful expression. "Can you forgive one who has done you so many wrongs?"

"Just forget it," Haruhi mumbled, looking aside.

"Dear Princess, please!" Tamaki cried, one great stride carrying him into the shade and well into Haruhi's personal space. "You shouldn't give your pardon so easily! How can you forgive such a miserable creature with so little thought!"

Haruhi frowned slightly. "You know Senpai," she muttered, somewhat annoyed, "that's called fishing for compliments."

Tamaki looked at her like she'd just slapped him across the face. He hung his head. "I . . . I'm so sorry, Princess," he said in low voice. Suddenly, just like the day before, he took both her hands in his, swiftly and suddenly, and looked up at her with tearful eyes.

"Please, tell me what I can do to make it up to you!"

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Just don't do stuff like that," she told him bluntly, "it makes me uncomfortable, ok?"

Tamaki stared openly at her for a minute, before his face softened into a dreamy, fond smile. "Well, what can I do to make the lovely Princess more comfortable?" he asked.

Haruhi blanked, not sure how to deal with this new development. Somewhere in the back of her mind it occurred to her that she'd quite lost sight of her original plan.

Suddenly Tamaki's eyes widened slightly, and he grinned at her. "I know!" he said excitedly, "why don't you come to the Host Club this afternoon? I'll make sure you are showered with every luxury and affection! I assure you, you will be treated like the Princess you are!"

That was an incredibly bad idea. If she went to the Host Club as Haruhi the girl, Haruhi the boy wouldn't be there to be a host and pay off his debt. Then again, Haruhi the girl would probably be almost instantly recognized as Haruhi the boy by the other members of the club, since she was pretty sure none of them were quite as blind as Tamaki.

"Um," she tried, a blank expression on her face as she wondered how to refuse in a way that wouldn't make him suspicious.

Tamaki's mouth fell open at her blank look. "Princess!" he said incredulously, "Do you _not_ _know_ of the Host Club! A lovely young girl such as yourself should be at our club room, being pampered and entertained by beautiful young men, like myself! But, can it be that you've never been there before?"

"No," Haruhi said hurriedly, without thinking, "really, I go there everyday."

It was Tamaki's stunned silence that brought home to her just how big a mistake that had been.

"H-how," Tamaki stammered, staring openly at her. "How can that be? I . . . I'm sure I'd never seen you before yesterday. I'm sure I'd know those eyes anywhere. And yet, I find out you've been in and out of my own club room, without being greeted at least once by me, and without your lovely eyes being burned forever into my memory?"

He moved his hands from her own to grasp her shoulders and pull her closer to look deeply into her eyes.

"How is it that such a beauty could possibly escape my notice!"

"I," she squeaked, "I've been there every day since school started. You've never noticed me once, Senpai."

Tamaki looked as though his entire world had been shattered. He fell to his knees, staring in shock at the floor beneath Haruhi's feet.

_Oh man,_ she thought, _Kyoya-senpai's gonna kill me. This time I broke Tamaki!_

"Princess," he whispered, still staring blankly at her feet. She sighed and knelt down in front of him, cupping his cheek gently as she lifted his head so he was looking at her face. He stared at her incredulously for a moment, then did something odd.

He closed his eyes, as though in exhaustion, and leaned sensuously into her touch.

Quickly Haruhi withdrew her hand, but immediately Tamaki's shot out to follow it, grasping it tightly. He gazed deeply into her eyes.

"Your touch is so soft, Princess." he whispered, "You're . . . so gentle."

Haruhi swallow. "I . . ."

"Please," Tamaki besought, looking up at her with complete longing, "come to the music room this afternoon, after school, when everyone's cleared out. You don't have to be shy, I promise I'll be alone. Wear the clothes you usually wear. I . . . I'll make it up to you. I know, seeing you there, I'll remember your name."

He reached up, cupping her cheek, pinning her with his gaze so that she didn't move away. "I know I will remember those eyes."

Well, she could hardly say no.

-That Afternoon-

This was a really dumb idea.

Haruhi stood in front of the music room doors, hand outstretched towards the handle, trying to decide whether to go in or turn around and run like hell.

She was still wearing her boy's uniform.

Well, he had told her to come dressed in the clothes she normally wore to the host club. Even though she knew it would all be over if he recognized her, she still wanted, oddly, to do as he'd said. It wasn't practical, and Haruhi was usually always practical, but some part of her wanted to meet him. Somewhere deep down, she wanted him to recognize her.

For a moment, standing before the door, she let herself think that this might actually make things better for her. Perhaps the misunderstanding might somehow work to her benefit. Tamaki might even let her off the hook, if he could convince Kyoya. She hated the feeling that she was using him, but really, it wasn't like she'd seduced him to get out of her debt. He'd sought her out. He'd backed her into the vase, he'd mistaken her for a boy, he'd been the one to orchestrate this whole mess from the beginning. If anyone was being used it was her!

She took a deep breath, swallowing her racing heart. She'd go inside, tell Tamaki the truth and explain everything. Then maybe she could begin to sort this whole thing out.

She pulled down the cold brass handle and pushed the door open, stepping slightly inside to peek around the door.

"Tamaki-senpai?" she asked quietly, glancing around.

"Haruhi!" Tamaki cried, looking up at her from his seat in front of the piano which had been wheeled into the middle of the floor, apparently since she had left. He stood up quickly, and with several long, brisk strides he came up to her, looking at her earnestly. She stepped fully inside, waiting for him to exclaim his recognition, but as he reached her he grasped her firmly by the shoulders.

"You can't be here right now!" he told her desperately, and a little loudly considering how close he was, not unkindly but with a clear note of urgency in his voice.

"Um, but," she protested weakly, but Tamaki would have none of it.

"Really, you need to go!" he cried, jerking open the door and nearly shoving her outside.

Once again, Haruhi was left staring at the closed door of the music room.

It took a few moments, but shock eventually gave way to anger.

That, that, _jerk!_ How dare he . . . _manhandle_ her that way! Admittedly it wasn't exactly the first time he'd invaded her personal space, or the first time he'd grabbed her forcefully, but this time it had hurt! She rubbed her arms, frowning angrily at the door, as she tried to soothe the dull ache just bellow her shoulders where he had held her. Judging by the pain, she would probably have bruises there tomorrow.

Haruhi turned on her heel and stalked off, picking up her bag from where she'd left it by the door. Quickly she made her way to the bathroom where she changed, furiously pulling on the white dress and attaching the fake ponytail to the back of her head. She glared at herself angrily in the mirror. Did this getup really matter that much to Tamaki? Was she really that different wearing girl's clothes?

No. Whether she was a boy or a girl didn't matter, or at least it shouldn't have. It matter to Tamaki though, it mattered so much that he'd been willing to practically _throw_ her out of a room. Suddenly she was reminded of everything she hated about Tamaki, and rich people in general. They were shallow and superficial, only judging based on how something looked, on how some_one_ looked. They saw nothing.

Haruhi stormed from the bathroom and headed back toward the music room, taking long, brisk strides as she planned what she was going to say to Tamaki. She would confront him about how he only judged her based on her looks. She would tell him off for being so shallow, and tell him flat out she never wanted to see him again. If he figured out her identity from her anger, then so be it. She was going to give that rich snob a piece of her mind!

"Well hello there beauty," purred a voice off to her left.

Haruhi started, then glared angrily around, expecting to see Tamaki waiting for her since she wasn't far from the music room.

Instead, Hikaru stared at her with smoky eyes, leaning against a nearby pillar.

"I don't think we've seen you around," continued Kaoru in the same purr, coming out from behind the pillar across from Hikaru's. He mirrored his brother's stance, fixing her with an identical smoky gaze.

Haruhi rolled her eyes, her anger returning, accompanied by impatience, now that shock had once again faded.

"I don't have time for the two of you!" she snapped, forgetting to marvel at their failure to recognize her as she turned back to her original course and stormed off again.

She didn't get very far. Not two paces down the hall the twins darted out in front of her, leaning on each other and blocking her way.

"Move it or lose it!" she snarled, but stopped short just in front of them when they didn't budge.

"Well now, this is interesting isn't it?" Hikaru remarked, looking her up and down with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Yeah," agreed Kaoru, giving her the same once over with the same expression, "I think you should tell us your name."

"You know my name," Haruhi snapped, very much annoyed, "you just don't remember that its mine. Let me pass."

The twins, however, were staring at her blankly.

"We don't know you," Hikaru stated, blinking.

"Yes you do!" Haruhi insisted, forgetting to be afraid of being discovered. "You just don't recognize me!"

"From where?" Kaoru queried, still looking blankly at her.

"The Host Club of course!" Haruhi said exasperatedly, crossing her arms over her chest.

They paused a moment, staring at her.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Will the two of you please move!" she demanded.

Suddenly the twins, at exactly the same moment, sprouted identical looks of pure mischief. They grinned almost menacingly at her, then pulled from nowhere two matching green hats.

"We'll let you pass," Hikaru agreed, his eyes dancing with a dark playfulness.

"If you can guess which one of us is Hikaru." Kaoru finished, the two of them beginning to weave around each other in an effort to confuse her.

Haruhi just rolled her eyes again, waiting for them to finish.

"So, which one of us . . ."

"Is Hikaru?"

"You are!" said Haruhi confidently, pointing at Hikaru. "I can tell because your voice is a little bit lower, and you look just a little bit more mischievous. Now, out of my way!"

And with that she pushed past the stunned twins, leaving them staring amazedly after her.

Haruhi flung the doors of the music room wide, glaring at Tamaki as he stood hastily from the piano bench.

"Princess!" he cried, running to meet her, his face shining with happiness.

"You're officially not allowed to call me that!" Haruhi said loudly, closing the doors behind her with a bang.

Tamaki stopped short, looking at her anxiously. "Did I . . . did I do something wrong? What should I have called you?"

"My name!" Haruhi replied, now practically yelling, glowering fiercely at him. "You said you would remember it if I came here! So? What is it? What's my name Tamaki Suoh!"

Tamaki stared at her, his mouth hanging open. Then he glanced helplessly from side to side, beginning to worry at his bottom lip. For a split second the thought struck Haruhi that he looked incredibly cute like that, but she forced it angrily away. Tamaki was not cute, he was an arrogant rich jerk that needed to be taught a lesson.

Tamaki hung his head. "I . . ." he whispered, "I don't know. I thought I would remember if I saw you here, but I still don't know. I don't remember your name, koi."

Haruhi's heart stopped.

Had he just called her . . . 'love'?

"I changed my mind," she murmured, her voice having shrunk considerably, trying with little success to draw air into her lungs and suppress the blush staining her cheeks, "you can call me 'Princess'."

"No!" he said firmly, coming up to her. He didn't take her hands, merely stood before her, gazing determinedly into her eyes.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I should call you by your name!"

"But you don't remember it," Haruhi pointed out, blinking.

"Yes," Tamaki seemed to deflate a bit, then looked back up at her. "So, what would you prefer that I call you?"

"I told you, Princess is fine," Haruhi insisted, holding up her hands in surrender. "Its what you call all the other girls, isn't it?"

"Yes, but that's why I don't want to use it for you," Tamaki said earnestly, his brow furrowed in thought. "It just . . . doesn't seem to fit you."

"So I'm not a Princess anymore, huh?" Haruhi raised an eyebrow, not sure whether to be insulted or not.

"No," Tamaki whispered. He reached out a hand and cupped her cheek, pinning her with his gaze. She did not move away.

"You're so much more than a Princess," he continued softly, "you are, like I said before, an angel. Would you mind, if that became my name for you? Mitsukai?"

Haruhi swallowed. Mitsukai. Its was . . . a beautiful name. No one had ever wanted to call her by a beautiful name. No one had ever though she deserved one. Haruhi was a common name, just like she was a commoner. Plain and boring, just like her. But . . . Mitsukai . . .

"Alright," she murmured, letting her eyes fall to the floor as she tried to hide her blush. Tamaki, however, gripped her chin and turned her face back to his.

"Mitsukai, then," he whispered. He was very close. She could almost feel his breath on her lips.

Suddenly his intent became clear to her, and like the vase on the first day of school Haruhi's trance shattered. She lurched backward, crying out in pain as the door handle jabbed her in the small of the back.

"Angel, what . . .!" Tamaki cried in alarm, reaching for her again.

"No!" Haruhi panicked, whirling around and scrabbling at the door handle. "I have to . . ."

"No!"

There was a loud bang, and once again Haruhi found herself staring at the closed door of the music room.

Only now she was on the wrong side of it.

She was frozen with her hand on the door handle, listening to it rattle faintly as her hand shook. Tamaki was behind her, his chest pressed into her back, his hands on either side of her head, leaning against the door to hold it shut. She could feel his heart beating quickly against her back, and hear his slight panting on her right ear.

She wondered vaguely if the twins were still close enough to hear her scream.

"Mitsukai!" Tamaki choked out, making her start and gasp slightly.

She placed a hand over her mouth and turned slowly around so that she was staring at his chest.

"I have to go," she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear. "I shouldn't have come here."

"No!" Tamaki cried, making her look up at him, shocked. His face was flushed, his eyes wide and desperate as he continued to lean on the door, preventing her escape.

He looked down. "Please don't go," he begged softly, "I . . . I don't want you to leave."

"Well I didn't want you to do a lot of the things you've done to me," she countered softly, dropping her hand and meeting his gaze steadily as he looked up at her questioningly.

"Did you try to kiss me, Tamaki-senpai?"

Tamaki looked pained.

Haruhi turned away, grasping the door handle again. "Really," she said, "I should never have come. I don't belong here. This is the last time, ok . . ."

"No!" Tamaki insisted again, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her back around. "Don't say that! Don't ever say you don't belong here!"

"But I don't," she protested softly, "really, there's no reason I should have ever thought I belonged here."

"Then here's one," Tamaki said firmly. He leaned down until he was looking her straight in the eye.

"You belong here because I say you belong here!"

Haruhi stared at him. He couldn't possibly know what he was saying. He couldn't begin to . . .

"Now please," Tamaki continued, softer and with less intensity, as he took one of her hands and gently pulled her away from the door, "I spent all afternoon looking for this. I didn't want you to get here, only to have nothing for you. I have a surprise."

"What?" Haruhi asked blankly, not sure whether she was asking if she'd heard right or what it was.

Tamaki smiled a dreamy smile. "I found your song, Mitsukai."

"My . . . my song?" Haruhi repeated, confused.

"Let Me Be Your Wings," Tamaki told her, releasing her when she stood before the piano and going to sit at the bench. He showed her the sheet music resting on the stand, and Haruhi was surprised to find that it was indeed the song she'd been singing out on the gazebo. When she looked up Tamaki was staring at her, smiling contentedly.

He sat down at the piano, fingers poised over the keys.

"Sing for me?"

_You will be my wings_

_You will be my only love_

_You will take me far beyond the stars_

_You will be my wings_

_You will take me high above_

_Everything we're dreaming of will soon be ours_

_Anything that we desire_

_Anything at all_

_Everyday you'll take me higher. . ._

_And you'll never let me fall._

**Author's Note:** So, how did you like the twins? No I'm not gonna just put one chapter for both of them, they'll get their own chapters later on. I'm still kinda focussing on Tamaki, but I'm also trying to gradually bring the rest of the Host Club into it. Next chapter, Kyoya!


	3. Kyoya

**Author's Note:** Hiya Luckies! Can you tell I watched the entire Lucky Star anime in less than a week? Forgive me. I made Kyoya blind as Tamaki. The thing is I can't have him figuring her out, 'cuz while he would be just the type to keep it a secret from Tamaki just for fun, there's a lot of parts where he would tell Tamaki just to get him out of his depression because, well, let's face it, Tamaki is far less productive when he's depressed. Also, yeah yeah I know its pretty easy to recognize Haruhi in a dress, but this is a what if story, and anyway she manages to fool the Host Club girls pretty well. I toyed with the idea of her wearing a mask, but I thought that would be too cheesy. Part of the point is that as romanticized as looking into someone's eyes and knowing stuff about them (if you like them, who they are if you'd met before, etc.) is, you cannot recognize a person by just their eyes. Admittedly the Host Club have more than just eyes to work with, but give me a little suspension of disbelief here.

**Chapter 3: Kyoya**

The day after Mitsukai's visit to the music room Tamaki was ecstatic. The twins kept commenting on how lovestruck he looked, Honey started asking if he was ok, or if maybe he'd found something he might wanna share, and Haruhi noticed that even Kyoya was glancing more often at Tamaki from the corner of his eye, writing diligently in his little black book.

The next day, however, Tamaki seemed to realize that he'd neglected to set up another time and place to meet with her. He was depressed and anxious for most of the morning, but come afternoon worry had given way to purpose. He made it a point to greet every single girl that came in through the doors of the music room, gazing deeply into the eyes of every Host Club guest and asking the ones that didn't favor him to remind him of their names. Haruhi just smiled a small, secret, oddly pleased smile and went back to serving tea.

Then it really began. Once Tamaki had concluded that he was just incapable of picking Mitsukai out of all the Host Club regulars he fell into an even deeper depression. All the Hosts had to take on extra guests as Tamaki became almost incapable of entertaining, and two days in a row he simply withdrew from Host Club activities altogether. He stayed late everyday, refusing to allow anyone to stay with him, and spent every break at the gazebo, looking dejected and forlorn.

"Whats up with the boss?" asked Hikaru, staring out a window they had discovered which looked out on the gazebo.

"Beats me, but he sure is depressed," Kaoru replied, looking almost pitying down at Tamaki.

"Hey, do you think it has something to do with that girl he mentioned, Kyoya-senpai?" Hikaru asked, turning to where Kyoya was sitting on a nearby couch, still writing.

"I would assume," Kyoya replied, not looking up, "have either of you heard him talk about anything else all week?"

"You think the boss might really be in love with this girl?" Kaoru asked his twin.

Haruhi snorted, forgetting to be quiet and not draw attention to herself as she poured a cup of tea and went to stand by the door across from the window. She had kept her head down for the last week, simply thanking her lucky stars that Tamaki had forgotten to bind her to another promise. She had, of course, taken the excuse and literally run with it, staying as far away from the gazebo and the club room after hours as she could, and though she had noticed Tamaki's declining mood she had decided that it simply wasn't worth it to seek him out on her own.

Kyoya glanced up at Haruhi and raised an eyebrow. "You don't think so?" he asked, with as much interest as he put into anything.

Haruhi paused, wondering how to get out of this one. Idiot, why couldn't she have kept quiet!

"Well," she began, "I just think it would be odd for him to fall in love so . . . quickly, is all. I mean, doesn't it take longer than just two days?"

"Then what do you think is wrong with Tama-chan?" Honey piped up from where he was sitting in a chair across from Kyoya, of course eating cake.

Haruhi shrugged, trying to seem indifferent. "Maybe its just that she's interesting," she mused, "Maybe he's just fascinated that there's actually a girl out there who's immune to the seductive power of Tamaki Suoh."

Kyoya, who had since gone back to writing in his black book, only made a small noise of doubt in the back of his throat. "Well, its not like he's the only Host here," he replied casually, "There are girls who prefer one of us to him."

"Still, he has some effect on them," Haruhi argued, trying to keep her voice light and unconcerned, "he's just not used to girls who are completely immune to his . . ."

"Charm?" tried Honey.

"Charisma?" Kyoya offered.

"Undeniable sex appeal?" the twins guessed in unison.

Haruhi fought down a blush. "Yeah. That."

"You know, come to think of it, we met a girl near the music room last week," Hikaru recalled, turning to his twin.

Haruhi's heart stopped.

"Yeah," Kaoru agreed, "and she was wearing a white dress. Didn't the boss say that this mystery girl was wearing a white dress?"

"Oh?" prompted Kyoya, suddenly interested, "what day?"

"Tuesday," Hikaru told him.

"The same day Tamaki first stayed behind in the music room after school," Kyoya mused.

"Wow," she piped up, trying to sound curious and not panicked, "maybe you guys met her."

"What was she like?" Honey asked, tilting his head to the side innocently.

"She was . . ." Haruhi waited for Hikaru to continue, wondering how he would describe her.

"Strange," Kaoru finished at last, he and his twin exchanging odd looks. "She wasn't like the girls who usually come to the Host Club."

Haruhi frowned slightly into her tea. That was all they had to say?

"She was in a hurry to get to the music room," Hikaru continued, apparently satisfied with his twin's description.

"Do you think she might have been Tamaki's mystery girl?"

Kyoya paused a moment, as though thinking.

"Perhaps she was."

-Later-

Haruhi hung back, letting the twins get ahead of her as the last of the guests left and the Hosts as well began to go home. She wanted to think. What _was_ going on with Tamaki? Obviously his mood had to do with having no way to see "Mitsukai" again, but was it really affecting him that much? Was he really that upset over not being able to see her? And if so, why?

Suddenly Haruhi stopped, sighing deeply as she realized she'd left her bag behind in the club room. Turning, she retreated down the hall and came to the music room door, wondering if Tamaki would be inside to yell at her again for interrupting his chance to possibly meet with with, well, her.

"I know its stupid Kyoya," she heard Tamaki's voice say forlornly as she stepped carefully inside, trying not to draw attention to herself.

Tamaki was near the back of the room, pacing as Kyoya sat at a nearby table, writing as ever in his book.

"Is she really that interesting to you?" Kyoya asked, not looking up from what he was doing.

Tamaki stopped pacing for a moment, turning to face Kyoya with a distant expression.

"She's not just interesting," Tamaki said softly, so softly that Haruhi could barely hear him from her position by the door. She hadn't moved since she'd entered, and apparently hadn't yet been noticed either.

"She's incredible Kyoya," Tamaki continued, making Kyoya look up from his book at the seriousness in his friend's tone, "She's an angel, really she is. I know it sounds silly to you, and maybe it is silly, but I just can't stop thinking about her. I haven't been able to get her out of my head since the first time I saw her. I want . . . I want so badly to see her again."

Kyoya adjusted his glasses, the reflection of the light on them hiding his expression.

"I take it this is why you haven't been yourself lately?"

Tamaki smiled wearily. "Yeah," he replied, "I guess I have been acting a little strange. Its just that she's all I can think about."

Haruhi grabbed her bag and ducked out of the music room, running down the hall towards the exit near the gazebo. She knew it was risky to go there, especially now, but she had to think.

She fled into the unused bathroom and ran to one of the immense stalls, each as large as her own bathroom at home. She dropped her bag and leaned against a wall, lungs heaving and mind racing.

Was Tamaki really serious? Was he really that desperate? Did he really want to see "Mitsukai" again that badly? Haruhi glanced down at her bag, considering. She had taken to carrying the white dress around with her, why she didn't know. Was she intending to put it on again?

She hadn't really told Tamaki that it was the end of their relationship like she'd meant to that day. She'd been so relieved that he didn't seem to notice he hadn't set up another time and place that she'd just left and hadn't looked back. But now Tamaki was acting like it'd been the best date of his life (wait had that been a date?) and he seemed completely crushed that he wasn't able to see her again.

"So, Mitsukai, is it?"

Haruhi jumped, then her eyes darted to the lock on the bathroom door. Thankfully she had remembered to lock it, and since the school was so high class the lock was good and strong, not the cheap ones in normal public bathrooms.

"You don't have to be afraid," came Kyoya's calm, cool voice, "I know you're here, and who you are, but I'll wait out here until you come out. I merely wish to speak with you."

"This is a girl's bathroom," Haruhi tried in a vain attempt to get him to leave, trying to make her voice go higher so Kyoya wouldn't recognize it.

"I'll wait outside," Kyoya agreed smoothly, "but I'm not going away. I must speak with you, Princess Mitsuakai."

"You know that's not my real name," Haruhi told him, playing for time, "and don't call me Princess."

Then Kyoya did something she'd never seen him do before.

He laughed.

It was very soft and light, barely noticeably, but Haruhi distinctly heard him chuckle. She raised an eyebrow. What the hell was so funny?

"You really aren't like the other girls as this school," he commented.

"What the hell does that mean?" she asked somewhat angrily. This was lucky, as she noticed later that she really wasn't supposed to know that the Host Club thought she was out of the ordinary.

"Just that you are . . . unique," Kyoya assured her. "You can finish getting dressed, and then meet me outside."

Haruhi heard the bathroom door close behind Kyoya, then sank to the floor, clutching at her cropped hair. What the hell was she supposed to do now! There was no other way out, no windows or anything, and she couldn't get out the way she'd come in without getting by Kyoya. If she went out in her boy's uniform there was no way to explain how she'd gotten in or how "Mitsukai" had gotten out, and there was no chance in _hell_ Kyoya wouldn't just put two and two together the moment she was outside anyway.

But if she went out wearing the dress that wouldn't exactly be any better. Kyoya was not as blind as Tamaki, he would assuredly recognize her and then who knew what the hell he would do. She had known him for long enough to know he might just keep the secret for his own amusement, but she didn't see how that would help her. She might use it as a bargaining chip, sure, but he might just as easily use it against her somehow. Kyoya was clever, and she couldn't trust him with her freedom anymore than she could trust Tamaki with her heart.

The dress was her best means of escape. She'd just go out, tell him she didn't want to talk, and leave. It wasn't the best plan, but it was the best option she had at the moment. Quickly she tucked her boy's uniform into her bag, closing it firmly and making sure that no piece of fabric peeked out. Then, sighing, she pulled on the white dress and attached the fake ponytail to her hair, hoping against hope that the disguise would fool Kyoya.

"I don't know what you would want to talk to me about, Kyoya-senpai," she began firmly, stepping out of the bathroom, "but I really don't have time."

She tried to sidestep him, but immediately he put himself in front of her again, blocking her way.

Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "I think you know exactly what I want to talk to you about, Mitsukai-san," he said, "or are you going to tell me that I should know your real name?"

"Well you should," Haruhi muttered, "How did you find this place anyway?"

"Logic dictates that this was a likely place for you to change," Kyoya told her simply. "You obviously don't go around campus wearing that, or we'd have been able to find you instantly, and this is the bathroom closest to the gazebo where Tamaki met you. I figured this is where you changed out of your uniform.

"Although," he smirked slightly, "I didn't actually expect to find you here. I was going to set up a camera."

_Note to self,_ thougth Haruhi,_ never return to the scene of the crime. Or this bathroom, ever again._

Kyoya looked at her, complete seriousness on his face. "You need to see Tamaki again." he told her bluntly. "He seems to have developed a fondness for you that I simply can't sway, and he isn't behaving like himself. It is part of my job to keep the members of the Host Club performing at their best. To perform at his best Tamaki needs to see you, at least one more time."

Haruhi looked up at him, studying his face for a moment.

"That's not why you want me to go see him," she murmured, half to herself, but she caught Kyoya's attention anyway. "You want me to see him because he's your friend and he's unhappy. You pretend not to, but you really do care about the Host Club, and Tamaki."

Again the glare from the light on Kyoya's glasses hid his expression, but he tilted his head down ever so slightly, and Haruhi thought she might have seen a flash of something in his face.

She bowed her head. "I'll come and see Tamaki in the music room tomorrow," she agreed softly, "in fact the whole Host Club can come, if they want to. But this is the last time."

She turned and began to walk away.

"And its only because this is your way of showing you care."

If she had looked back she might have seen Kyoya stare after her for a few moments, and then smile slightly.

"That's an interesting notion, in its own way."

**Author's Note:** I hope nobody expects me to post regularly, 'cuz I never do that. I had a Death Note plot bunny that I just had to get down (nobody go looking for the story, its yaoi and my ex-boyfriend/ best friend will kill me). Anyway, who should I do next, Honey or Mori?


	4. Honey

**Author's Note: **I have too much stuff going on. Thank you Water-Lily7295, NightWorldPrincess, KagenoNek, BrittMarie, Senrii, Fruitsbasketluver123, paigeydoll, Cauryn Terenky, fyre-mizt, 123-Cat-Cat-321, Howl My Dear and Wake Up and Live for your reviews. You guys make me happy! Cheerfulshadow2, dear, I would have replied to the message you sent, but you've disabled private messages.

**Chapter 4: Honey**

Haruhi pulled the cursed white dress over her head, in a bathroom on the other side of the school from the first, as she tried to resign herself to the idea of being found out. It was inevitable this time. Meeting with the entire Host Club, all at once, somebody was going to recognize her. Dully she wondered who it would be. Honey or Mori seemed like good bets, they were the only ones left who hadn't yet fallen for her disguise after all, and yet somehow Kyoya seemed equally likely, despite the fact that he hadn't recognized her last time.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, she mused, leaving her bag concealed within the leaves of a large potted plant not far from the music room. Maybe they would all be so embarrassed that they'd let her off the hook. Or maybe their compulsive chivalry wouldn't allow them to exploit a girl. If nothing else it would be interesting. Then again, this might also make things a lot worse. If they didn't let her off the hook then she'd still be stuck with her debt, but now with no way to pay it off except running errands for the rest of her school career. She leaned against the wall and whined softly.

What had possessed her to do this? Why had she promised Kyoya she would? And why did she have to do it anyway? It wasn't like she'd given Kyoya any means of holding her to her word. She could just as easily have gone home, thrown away the dress and never gone to that bathroom again. Or maybe she should have told Kyoya who she was, and then tried to see if she could bargain with it? No, Kyoya was too unpredictable. Better that she not think about what-ifs and simply get this over with. If she actually did get through this meeting, she promised herself she would indeed go straight home and burn this damn dress. It had gotten her into way too much trouble already.

Squaring her shoulders, she pushed off from the wall and began to walk purposefully towards the music room. Her shoes clicked against the floor of the empty hallway in a most satisfying manner, and by the time she'd reached the double doors of the club room she was feeling almost confident.

The doors creaked open . . . to reveal six gorgeous rich boys all staring at her with rapt attention.

There went that feeling.

Nobody said anything. They were all staring at her blankly, with a mixture of confusion and wonder on their faces. Haruhi's face began to heat up, and her eyes switched from host to host, some unknown force keeping them off the floor where she would really have rather put them.

Suddenly Honey's face lit up like a Christmas tree. Haruhi watched as his mouth stretched into an ecstatic grin and his eyes widened to comical proportions. She blinked, vaguely worried that his face would split in half, and also wondering if this meant he recognized her.

"Honey-senpai?" she asked cautiously.

She had expected him to cry out 'Haru-chan!' and confuse the others for a moment until they caught on, but instead Honey darted up to her at full speed and leaped into her arms. On a reflex Haruhi caught him as the force of his jump spun them both around twice. She staggered for her footing for a moment, but at last was able to steady herself and look Honey properly in the face.

Honey's eyes were still wide with a look of awe and adoration. For a split second Haruhi was left to wonder what was going on in his head, before . . .

"Mitsukai-chan is sooooooo kawaii!"

Haruhi let out a half relieved, half exasperated sigh.

"Isn't she though!" Tamaki gushed, racing forward next. "See, I told you all she was the most beautiful thing you'd ever lay eyes upon, didn't I!"

"Did you?" Haruhi asked in alarm.

"He did." Kyoya assured her

"Oh where are my manners?" Tamaki remarked suddenly, passing a hand over his eyes as though pained, "I haven't introduced you to everyone yet!"

Haruhi set Honey down on the floor. "That's ok," she told him lightly, "I already know all of you. Whether you believe it or not, I do actually come here every day."

She looked around the room, nodding to each host in turn. "Kyoya-senpai, Mori-senpai, Hikaru-kun and Kaoru-kun. And Honey-senpai of course," she said, smiling down at Honey. Honey beamed at her.

Here Haruhi paused, then looked back at Tamaki. "Where's Haruhi-kun?" she asked in a mild voice. She had rehearsed this part carefully. 'Haruhi' had decided not to stay and meet 'Mitsukai', and since he wasn't really in the club by choice in the first place no one thought anything of it. 'Mitsukai' however wouldn't know this, and since she was supposed to come to the Host Club each day and know all the hosts, she would notice Haruhi's absence.

"He went home," Tamaki told her with a wave of his hand, "but let's not worry about him now."

Haruhi frowned slightly, a bit miffed at his cool dismissal of her relevance, but quickly erased the expression from her face.

"Now," said Tamaki, taking her by the shoulders from behind and turning her to face the assembled Host Club, "this lovely young lady tells me that she has been to our club room every day since the beginning of the school year, and has not been greeted once by any of us!"

Tamaki raised one finger high over his head, then brought it down to point accusatorily at the rest of the club. "I am severely disappointed in you all!" he shouted, "How could you all leave this poor, beautiful princess alone and unentertained! You call yourselves Hosts! You ought to be ashamed of yourselves!"

"You know, you didn't notice her either boss," Hikaru remarked in an annoyed voice.

"He has a point," Haruhi agreed, glancing upwards at Tamaki.

Tamaki looked as if he might cry. All of the Hosts looked from Haruhi to each other, obviously not sure how to deal with the situation. None of them had ever offended a girl before, at least not a girl they had any interest in making up with. For a while no one said anything, then . . .

"Allow me," said Kyoya, coming forward to kneel on one knee at Haruhi's feet and taking one of her hands in his, "to extend our humblest and sincerest apologies on behalf of the entire Host Club. We are truly sorry for this grievous offense, and beg that you allow us the opportunity to make amends."

Kyoya's eyes had been lowered, and as Haruhi watched he placed a light kiss on the back of her hand before looking up at her. He donned his sly half-smile and turned his head ever so slightly to the side, contemplating at her with intense, slightly frightening interest.

Haruhi blinked, staring at him, and it was a few moments before she even realized she was meant to give a response. "Y-yeah," she stammered hurriedly, "I mean, I came here to . . ."

"To be pampered and adored, of course!" cried Tamaki before she could finish, "why else does anyone come to the Host Club?" He clicked his fingers, and immediately the entire Host Club all scampered off in different directions.

"What . . ." Haruhi began, looking up at Tamaki in confusion.

"We've prepared a special day here, just for you, Mitsukai," Tamaki told her, his voice melting effortlessly into the seductive murmur he used on the Host Club girls.

"No," Haruhi turned, looking up at Tamaki, "I only came to say goodbye."

Tamaki stared at her, obviously confused, and Haruhi frowned. "Didn't Kyoya tell you? This is the last time."

Shock, confusion, pain and panic chased each other across Tamaki's face, and Haruhi felt her heart twist at the sight. Suddenly his head lowered and his expression became unreadable. He took a number of slow, careful strides toward the center of music room, and Haruhi turned to watch as he raised his head and looked out onto the empty shoujo paradise. Then he glanced over his shoulder, a small, knowing smile on his face.

"I see," he told her, his voice soft but not seductive, "I understand now. We've only got one more chance."

He turned fully to face her, his expression determined. "We only have one more chance to find out who you are."

Haruhi swallowed. That was not what she had meant at all. Her heart was beating fast. She did not like this attention. She opened her mouth to say . . . something, but before she could get to words out Tamaki had closed the distance between them and laid one finger on her lips.

"Don't say anything," he whispered, "I promise, Mitsukai, we will find your name."

The other Hosts were beginning to reemerge. Mori and Honey were both carrying large trays of food, every kind of sweet and delicacy Haruhi had ever seen served at the Host Club, and setting them on a large round table that had appeared in the center of the room, like the piano as if by magic. The twins darted about the room, dimming the lights and setting red candles hither and thither which filled the room with the warm scent of apples and cinnamon. Kyoya was fiddling with a stereo in the back, and as he stepped away the vague tune of "Let Me Be Your Wings" played by what sounded like an entire orchestra began playing.

Haruhi's heart was racing. This was all wrong. This was so weird! She could barely stand Tamaki's attention without squirming at the awkwardness, there was no chance in _hell_ she could _survive_ all six hosts scrutinizing her at once! She fought to control her breathing, trying not to hyperventilate. A room full of curious boys with no sense of boundaries was not a good place to pass out.

"Wait!" she cried abruptly, causing all activity in the room to grind to an instantaneous halt. There was no way she'd survive this encounter, she decided, not when all of them merely looking up at her in mild confusion made her feel like an insect under a microscope.

"I can't do this!" she continued, sounding more confident than she felt, "its just too weird. Its like . . . its like a date, or something."

"Yeah, I guess you could say its a date," Kaoru conceded with a mischievous grin.

"After all, isn't it every girl's fantasy to be loved and admired by so many boys at once?" Hikaru finished, grinning just as wickedly as his twin.

"No way!" Haruhi protested in alarm, "I can't go on a date with six guys at once! Its too weird, and not fair at all!"

"How is it not fair?" Honey asked, looking up at her curiously.

"Well," Haruhi began, not really sure how to respond, "I guess, a date is supposed to be about two people who like each other, or even might like each other, getting to know each other better. Its supposed to be about a single relationship, not about a whole bunch of people all . . . entertaining each other. If a girl goes out with a bunch of guys, she can't possibly give each on the attention he deserves. Its just not fair to the boys who all have to compete with each other."

There was a long, drawn out silence during which Haruhi felt the eyes of every single host upon her, and she was just beginning to consider how much trouble in her life could be avoided if she just kept her mouth shut, when . . .

"A splendid idea, Mitsukai-san."

They all turned, surprised, that it was actually Kyoya who had spoken. He was wearing his usual plastic smile that made his face totally unreadable, but gave the distinct impression that he was plotting something almost sinister.

"What's a splendid idea?" Haruhi asked, perplexed, but Kyoya's smile only widened.

"Why, individual dates, of course," Kyoya said, as though this were the only possible conclusion, suddenly sliding the bottom out of Haruhi's stomach.

"In exactly five weeks time the Host Club will be giving a party, a ball, right here in the school. Each Saturday, from now until then, you will go on a date with one member of the Host Club at a time. We'll start with Mori, then Honey, then the twins and then me. Tamaki has already had enough time with you, so I think he can wait for a while. On these dates we will each try our hand at finding your name, or impressing you enough for you to give it to us. Then, on the night of the party, the Host Club will announce you, by name, as the guest of honor. If we win this little challenge, then you will have the last dance of the evening with Tamaki, as well as a kiss. If you win, and we fail to find your name, then we will all be at your service, to do whatever you desire of us."

He looked up, piercing her with his gaze. "_Whatever_ you desire of us."

_My life,_ Haruhi decided, _cannot possibly get any more complicated._

**Author's Note:** Review. With ideas. Please?


	5. Mori

**Author's Note:** Its kind of sad, this was a kind of afterthought in my fanfiction career, and yet I'm getting more reviews by the chapter than on my Naruto masterpiece. Then again, it seems that the things I write just for the heck of it are always more popular than the things I put any real work into. I guess its just me. So many people have asked for Mori to at least recognize Haruhi, but the story kind of hinged on nobody recognizing her, because by the end the point is that Tamaki is totally desperate and the climax is him putting the pieces together. Originally I made this story with _John Tucker Must Die_ in mind (if you've never seen it, I highly recommend it, its hysterical)as well as _Enough_, kind of a revenge fic for Haruhi I suppose. But then I realized that, despite the somewhat sinister undertones, Ouran is just pure fluff and fan service really, and as much as I wanted to make the Host Club suffer for being, well, a bunch of rick jerks, I realized that the point of the story is that its important for Tamaki to figure out who she is by seeing through the disguise (whichever outfit you think the disguise is) because he sees _her,_ not just how she looks. The other hosts, being his friends, want what's best for him, and would kind of realize that too. So . . . well, you'll see how it goes. Also, I apologize, Mori is very chatty in this chapter, even though that's so far OOC for Mr. One Line An Episode. Still, if its just him and Haruhi . . .

**Chapter 5: Mori**

"So how did it go with Mitsukai-san?"

The day after the grand meeting the entire Host Club, Haruhi included, was gathered in the music room, having reconvened to discuss strategy. Tamaki and Kyoya were seated at the low table, ironically the same one they'd used yesterday, which had been, again without Haruhi noticing, placed back in the center of the room. Hikaru and Kaoru were standing by the window, and Mori and Honey were sitting at a smaller table off to one side, Honey of course eating cake.

"It was . . ." Hikaru paused.

"Different than we expected," Kaoru finished, exchanging a frustrated and slightly confused look with his twin. Part of Haruhi wasn't sure whether to feel pleased or disgusted that the hosts were apparently still scratching their heads over how to think of her.

Tamaki slammed his hand down onto the table. "This is serious!" he yelled, "we need to come up with a plan! In just a few days, Mori-senpai will be making the first attempt at discovering our beloved Mitsukai's name!"

"Our beloved Mitsukai?" Haruhi repeated, somewhat incredulously.

It alarmed her that Tamaki now only made her _somewhat_ incredulous.

"Yes!" Tamaki cried in exasperation, "I know _you_ don't care Haruhi, but to the rest of us this is important! We only have a limited amount of time before this mysterious Cinderella disappears from our lives completely! We have to take this opportunity seriously!"

Haruhi frowned. "Who said I don't care?" she snapped, "I'm starting to regret not going to meet her with you, is she really something to make all this fuss over?"

"I'm sorry Haruhi," Kyoya spoke up suddenly, startling her a bit, "we didn't arrange a date for you, we only have five weeks after all . . ."

"Five weeks!" Tamaki lamented loudly, sinking down in his chair, "Five weeks before I can see my heavenly angel again!"

"But you can still see her at the party." Kyoya finished, as though Tamaki hadn't spoken. "In the mean time, try to pay close attention to your guests. She's new to our club, which may be just because she's a first year, but it also might have something to do with us getting a new host. She may well be one of your guests Haruhi."

He looked up at her, peering at her sideways through one lens of his glasses. "Try to take notice of any plans they mention. If maybe one of them has a date this Saturday, or talks about how her weekends between now and the party we're hosting are all booked up. Let us know if you hear anything."

"Sure," Haruhi agreed, then looked back at Tamaki. "Are you ok, Tamaki-senpai?"

"He's just depressed 'cuz he doesn't have a date," Hikaru snickered.

"Don't be sad Tama-chan," Honey admonished from across the room, looking at Tamaki worriedly, "Mitsukai-chan will be at the party, you can see her then!"

"She'll only come to the party if we guess her name," Kaoru reminded him, "if we don't we have to do something _she_ wants."

Tamaki moaned and sank lower in his chair.

"Well if she has you do something you'll probably have to be there to do it," Haruhi pointed out, trying to sound cheerful as she leaned over Tamaki's chair, "so you'll probably get to see her one more time anyway."

"You don't understand!" Tamaki cried, leaping out of his chair. Before Haruhi could stop him he darted around the piece of furniture separating them and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her in close to him as he shook her. "I can't just wait five weeks to see her again! I'll die without my princess, waste away to a withered shell of a prince! I can't simply go back to normal after having played the piano for an angel!"

Haruhi's heart hammered. Tamaki was holding her in exactly the same way he had at the gazebo. He gripped her firmly by her upper arms, his chest pressed against hers almost intimately. He was looking down at her face, looking deeply into her eyes just as he had before. Haruhi prayed that her luck would hold out, that he wouldn't recognize the resemblance, but even as she watched he paused, his expression changing. His eyes widened and his mouth went slack, and the bottom of Haruhi's stomach dropped out to join her dashed hopes on the floor.

_Here it comes, _she thought, clenching her jaw and closing her eyes tightly against the inevitable, _he's going to expose me. It's all over. He's going to . . ._

"No, not an angel . . ." Tamaki whispered pensively, staring off into space as he released Haruhi's shoulders and turned away. Haruhi's eyes sprang open, staring at him in shocked disbelief.

"A _goddess!_" Tamaki exclaimed, his face shining with jubilant euphoria. "It all makes perfect sense! I, myself being a love _god_, have at last attracted a love _goddess _to be my Host Club Queen and consort!"

"Then what's with her trying to avoid you like the plague?" Hikaru asked flatly.

Haruhi gave a long-suffering sigh and sank down into Tamaki's newly vacated chair as he burst into tears.

-That Saturday-

Haruhi needed a new dress.

Honestly, she'd been wearing the white one too long, one more time and the hosts would start getting suspicious that maybe it was the only one she owned. Most, well, _all_ of the girls at Ouran were rich, so if Mitsukai apparently wasn't it would be a pretty good tip off that they needed to start looking in the, much smaller, pool of not-so-rich students. Of course it hadn't exactly been hard to get a new dress. She barely had to mention that she had a date to her father before he was ransacking his own closet, as well as the back corners of hers where she kept the dresses he bought her but never wore, in search of the perfect outfit. In the end she found herself standing out in front of the school in a long sleeve purple shirt under a mildly ruffled pink spaghetti strap dress that stopped at mid calf, with two fake pigtails sticking out of either side of her head.

Haruhi checked her watch. As much as she hated to admit it, and as much as the rational part of her brain was telling her this was a monumentally bad idea, this was actually developing into a somewhat conceivable plan. If she survived five dates and five more weeks at the Host Club without being found out, then Kyoya had promised that the hosts would do anything she wanted. _Anything,_ he said, and that included letting her out of her debt. Hell, she didn't even have to say it was hers, just tell them to let Haruhi off the hook and then never wear a skirt again until she was out of college, letting Mitsukai just simply disappear.

It wouldn't exactly be unlike her.

Mori's limo pulled up beside her, making her step back from the curb slightly in apprehension. The door in the back opened, to reveal Mori sitting alone in dress pants and an un-tucked shirt. Haruhi blinked. It was strange, seeing him without Honey. She'd half expected him to bring the smaller boy along, but when he stepped out of the car and indicated that she should get in no smiling blond head assaulted her as she crouched down and crawled onto the comfortable leather seats. Mori climbed in beside her, closed the door and motioned to the driver.

_Here we go._

"So, where are we going?" Haruhi asked conversationally, trying to keep her voice light.

Mori regarded her carefully for a minute, then . . .

"I know you're Haruhi Fujioka."

_Well that didn't take long._

Haruhi gaped at him, head reeling. A million questions flooded through her mind as she struggled to understand Mori's words. Was he serious? What did this mean? How had he found out? Had he just guessed? Did the other hosts know? Were they just messing with her? Why would . . .

"I'm the only one who knows," he continued, as though he'd read her mind.

Haruhi swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. "Ok," she said in a shaky voice, "so . . . what now?"

Mori looked away. For a few moments he made no reply, and Haruhi began to wonder if he'd heard her. Then . . .

"Tamaki backed you into that vase," he said, turning back to her. "We all saw it, but it was easier, in truth more amusing, to take advantage of you."

Mori bowed his head. "That was wrong of us."

"Um," Haruhi said intelligently. Her skin was prickling with the aftermath of adrenaline, and her mouth was dry as she tried to understand what Mori was leading up to.

"I am the only one who knows," he continued, "and unless you want me to, I will not tell the others."

"Why . . . why not?" Haruhi managed, still trying to comprehend his motive.

Mori turned away again. "Mitskuni will tell," he said simply, not looking at her but appearing to gaze contemplatively out the window. "The twins will use it for a prank. Kyoya will exploit you. And Tamaki . . . he really should figure it out for himself."

Faintly it occurred to her that she had no idea what that last bit meant, but that seemed incredibly unimportant at the moment.

"So you'll . . . you'll let me, win this thing? Get out of my debt?" she asked hesitantly.

Mori nodded.

Haruhi stared at him for a moment. It suddenly dawned on her that he, for all his silence and intimidating demeanor, was actually the most gentlemanly host of all. He never forced emotion or faked sincerity, and he never lead a girl on. He had never once said or done anything that made her feel remotely uncomfortable, and he'd never asked her to do anything she didn't want to. He was always the most ready to protect someone, and even on her first day she had, without realizing it, called on him to save her from Tamaki.

Haruhi smiled, and Mori's lips twitched upward as well.

"Thank you," she said simply, and he nodded his understanding.

Suddenly she felt the car glide to a stop. Looking out the window she saw that they had pulled up in front of a dance studio.

"I thought, if you felt like going to the party, you might want to know how to dance," he explained.

Haruhi laughed slightly, and together they climbed out of the car and hurried inside.

**Author's Note:** Mori really is the most . . . genuine host, isn't he? While Tamaki is honest in all his compliments, he does lead a girl on, but Mori sort of lets people draw their own conclusions and only intervenes when necessary. And of course no one gets hurt on his watch. Ever. When I was watching the show I never really noticed, but the more fanfiction and fanart I see, the more I realize what a great human being he is. This story is still tamaharu, but Mori is such a good friend, no?


	6. Mitskuni

**Author's Note:** Well, it has been a while has it not? I was struck with a sudden inspiration for this story . . . about three months ago. And unfortunately it was for the chapter _after_ this one. Oh well, I guess I just have to finish this one and start on the next one ASAP! I'm not gonna lie, Honey's cute and all but he creeps me out a little bit, and he's not given a terrible amount of depth in the show except for his martial arts skills, so that's really all I have to work with. Hehe, don't hate me! Luvs and snuggles to everyone who reviewed (so many!) you guys keep me going.

**Chapter 6: Mitskuni**

Walking to class with the twins, Haruhi mused, was getting more and more bearable with each passing day. When they weren't talking about pranks that bordered on sadistic they would occasionally let slip that they were, despite all indications, interested in their schoolwork. Haruhi was intrigued to discover that not only had Hikaru been denied Kaoru's gift of tongues but Kaoru wasn't nearly as good at math as Hikaru, and even more surprisingly they actually cared. She decided not to voice her theory that the two of them were probably sharing answers on tests, which was why no one knew about the differences in their abilities, but more than once she had caught them drilling each other in algebra or foreign language with such uncharacteristic focus that it threw her.

"What _is_ your favorite subject Haruhi?" asked Hikaru Monday morning. He and Kaoru were taking a long route to the Host Club from their last class, and Haruhi was walking just behind them, not any more eager to listen to Tamaki's frantic babbling than they were.

"Since all you really seem interested in is school," Kaoru added, the two of them tossing Haruhi half interested glances over their shoulders.

Haruhi thought for a moment. "I don't know," she said at last, "I guess I like them all."

"Figures!" sighed Hikaru. "He's just an ordinary geek, obsessed with schoolwork like all of them."

Kaoru frowned. "Come on," he goaded, "there must be a class you like, if nothing else."

Hikaru scoffed, turning away, but Kaoru held her gaze, and Haruhi blinked in surprise. "Well," she conceded, "I'm studying to become a lawyer, so Government Theory is, I guess, the high school class that interests me the most."

"_Nothing_ else?" Hikaru threw her a disgusted look, "no wonder you don't get more guests Haruhi, you're the most boring boy that I know."

"There must be _one _thing you like besides homework and school," Kaoru insisted, and Haruhi was surprised at his persistence. After a moment though he turned to face forward again, and silently melded back into perfect sync with his brother.

Haruhi frowned. Somehow, in that moment, he had gone from being "Kaoru" to being half of "the twins." Something about that just didn't seem right to her.

"I like music, Kaoru."

The twins turned to her, blinking big amber eyes in annoying unison.

"Oh?" inquired Hikaru this time, "what kind of music?"

Haruhi shrugged. "Classical, I guess. Softer, with old fashioned instruments."

"You and Tamaki-senpai!" Hikaru exploded, throwing up his hands, "what is _with_ the two of you and this mushy gushy stuff!"

"How am I mushy gushy?" Haruhi demanded, an odd feeling in her stomach. "And why are you comparing me to Tamaki-senpai?"

"_Where_ have you three _been!"_ came the loud voice from off to their right, startling all of them. Without realizing it they had already reached the music room, and now Tamaki was standing at the door, frantically ushering them inside.

"We have to hurry!" he cried, practically yanking them in by their shirts, "The ladies will be here any minute, and we haven't regrouped yet!"

"Regrouped?" Haruhi repeated, trying to stop her head from spinning as she took in the already congregated Honey, Mori and Kyoya. Her eyes flicked to Mori briefly, but he wasn't looking at her, instead staring expectantly at Tamaki. Haruhi forced her attention onto the Host Club's King as well, just in time for him to start his tirade anew.

"Mori-senpai has just informed me that he has not succeeded in our first attempt to discover the identity of the Host Club's Angel," Tamaki began, pacing back and forth across the music room.

"Is that what we're calling her now?" Haruhi asked Kyoya quietly.

"Until he has to mention her again," Kyoya replied dryly, not looking up from his notes. Haruhi still thought she detected the barest hint of an amused smile.

"We need to strategize!" Tamaki cried, whirling to point an accusatory finger at the rest of the Host Club. "We must all work together to discover this most important secret! There will be no more wasted chances!"

_ Why do you make it sound like its somehow our fault?_ Haruhi wondered vaguely. Well, she supposed it was _her_ fault, but Tamaki wasn't to know that.

"We have a whole week to think this over before Honey-senpai's date," Hikaru complained, leaning on his twin, "do we have to do this now?"

"YES!" Tamaki shrieked. "We can't afford to wait, its that kind of slacking that will lose us even more chances to learn Mitsukai's true name!"

Tamaki spun to strike a dashing pose. "We cannot waste a single moment in this noble quest!" he declared. "The Host Club's reputation, our esteem, prestige, éclat, our very honor is at stake!" He whirled to point dramatically at the rest of the club. "We have to start planning now if we want to discover the identity of our most precious princess!"

"You'd better lay off playing favorites," Haruhi advised him, glancing at the door, "I think some of the other _princesses_ would take offense at that."

He whirled around, to see two girls standing in the doorway with almost identical expressions of shock and hurt on their faces.

Tamaki changed speeds so fast it almost gave her whiplash.

"Ladies," Tamki purred in a voice fit for a high budget porno, "welcome to the Host Club!"

"Oh Tamaki!" one of the girls wailed, "what did you mean 'the Host Club's Most Precious Princess'?"

"I thought we were all special to you!" sobbed her companion.

Tamaki froze with his hand outstretched to her, face horrified. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, wanting to comfort her but unable to think of an explanation for his words. Both girls were sniffling and whimpering, eyes brimming with unshed tears, and Tamaki looked ready to cry himself, or else implode, in his inability to do anything about it. He looked positively pathetic, and . . . genuinely hurt. He had caused those two girls pain, and it seemed almost as though he himself had taken an even greater blow, not to his ego, but to his heart. This was not mere worry for his reputation or doubt in his skills. Tamaki was . . . in real emotional distress over this, and he looked so helpless Haruhi couldn't seem to stop herself from doing something that she never did.

She spoke without thinking.

"Part of our upcoming party, of course!" Haruhi beamed, catching the attention of the two blubbering girls as she came up behind Tamaki. Tamaki's head snapped around to stare at her, dumbstruck, as she stepped out in front of him.

"As you probably know, the Host Club will be throwing a party in a little less than five weeks," Haruhi continued. "Between now and then, Tamaki and the other Hosts, including myself, will be canvasing the school for the most princess-like girl at Ouran Academy. The lady who displays the most princessly qualities will be named the Host Club's Most Precious Princess, and will be announced as the guest of honor at the party."

Both girls brightened immediately. "Oh!" the first one who had spoken tittered, "I see! Its a contest!"

"To see who's the most worthy to be called the real Princess of Ouran Academy!" squealed her friend, giggling madly as the two of them clasped hands in excitement. "Oh tell us Haruhi, what will the prize be?"

Now it was Haruhi's turn to open and close her mouth dumbly. She was officially out of ideas, and the two of them were looking at her so expectantly her brain went quite blank.

"Me."

Haruhi glanced in surprise over her shoulder, to discover that Tamaki had composed himself. He was standing straight again, beaming in his most princely manor and speaking in his honeyed Host voice.

And he wasn't finished.

"The girl who is chosen as the True Queen of Ouran Academy, the Greatest Young Lady at our school, the Host Club's Most Precious Princess, will become my very own Princess. She will be my partner at the dance, my consort in the Host Club, and the Lady Mistress of my heart. The winner of the contest, should she choose to accept it, will become my girlfriend."

-Wednesday-

"Nice save the other day Haruhi."

It took Haruhi a few moments to even register Kyoya's words. It was the second day after the incident, and the host club was just closing up. Monday after Tamaki's little announcement girls had begun to pour in, and he'd repeated his promise once all the regulars had arrived. On Tuesday however he'd seemed distracted, arriving just before opening and leaving just after they'd closed, giving no one any time to speak to him.

"What?" she asked distractedly, Kyoya's interjection calling her back to the present moment.

"Your quick explanation to those ladies the other day," he clarified, actually looking up from his book to give her what with Kyoya passed for a smile. "Tamaki was right about you. You really are a natural as a host."

The idea that Tamaki had been right about anything at all pertaining to her made Haruhi's stomach heave. Even though she knew Kyoya was only tying to comment on the fact that they'd struck gold with her apparent natural hosting skills, the closest thing to a compliment she'd probably ever get from him, its still made her feel slightly dirty to know that she'd lived up to Tamaki's expectations of her.

"So what do you make of this 'Most Precious Princess' thing?" asked Hikaru, casting a wary eye at the closed door to the back room that Tamaki had disappeared through moments before.

"He seemed . . . really serious when he said it," replied his twin, glancing over at Kyoya. "What do you think, Kyoya-senpai? You know him better than all of us."

"To tell you the truth, I don't know what to make of it either," Kyoya told him without looking up. His tone said quite clearly this was not the case at all, but he had decided not to share his thoughts with the group.

"He was just trying to be dramatic and save face if you ask me," Haruhi shrugged, clearing up the last tea tray and glancing over the tables again. She tried to keep things as neat as possible when she left, and so she had tracked down a rag which she used to wipe down the tables every day, so that they weren't too bad when the janitorial staff came in to pick up after the students. This pack of spoiled brats might not care about who had to pick up after them, but Haruhi couldn't help but think every time someone spilled of who would have to clean it up.

"No, you covered for him quite well," Kyoya chimed in, still not interested enough to look up however.

"I upstaged him," she scoffed, "something I'll never do again. He just wanted the spotlight back, and soon enough he'll be in here freaking out over a way to get out of it."

"You think Tama-chan wasn't serious?" asked Honey curiously from his position at a table by the window.

"I doubt it," Haruhi told him dismissively.

"I don't know," Kaoru shook his head, "the boss seems totally obsessed with this Mitsukai girl. Maybe he really wants her to be his girlfriend."

"But she might not even be there," Haruhi pointed out, "Who are we going to name if she wins the bet?"

"We'll just have to win then, won't we?"

Everyone, except Kyoya, jumped. Tamaki stood in the now open doorway to the back room, wearing his oddly serious expression. He paced out into the center of the room, straightening his tie as he went.

"I have been thinking very hard about this," he said, loudly and clearly to them all, "and I have come up with several points of strategy for Honey-senpai's date tactics on Friday."

"What were you thinking of, Tama-chan?" Honey asked, tilting his head to the side cutely.

"First," Tamaki began to pace, "I want you to show up early. Very early, in fact, to see which direction she comes from. Then, ask her where _she_ wants to go for the date as soon as she gets into the limo, and see what you can gauge from where she asks to go. If she insists that she doesn't know, we'll plan out a few different activities, things that might tell us something about her. Whether she likes sweets, or clothes, or music, we'll have something that centers around a number of interests she might have. Then, we can use what we learn about her to plan Host Club events for the next week to see which girls are most interested."

Tamaki turned to the others, to find them all staring at him with wide eyes. A few awkward moments passed.

"Well," Kyoya broke the silence, grinning with uncharacteristic enthusiasm, "it seems you've put a lot of work into this plan Tamaki. Tell me, what were you thinking for the different activities?"

Tamaki deflated. "I don't know," he moaned, "I was going to ask you all."

The whole room let out a deep sigh. It was Tamaki after all.

-Saturday-

The weekend did not so much creep up on Haruhi as it did wait for her guard to drop and then pounce on her from the shadows. Before she knew what was happening it was time to put her plan into action, and while it hadn't taken her long to think of it after hearing the Host Club's full plan, she somehow did not feel ready at all. She taped down the lock mechanism on a side door on Friday, and on Saturday she sneaked in by that way, a good two hours before she was supposed to meet Honey out front. She picked a new bathroom, this one on the top floor, and changed into bikers shorts covered by a knee length blue skirt and a tight fitting long sleeved top, with deck shoes. Honey would be arriving an hour early, and she intended to come from inside the school and give nothing away.

When the time came Haruhi descended the steps in front of the school, to see Honey waiting anxiously outside his limo. Once he caught sight of her he looked positively crestfallen to see that she was coming from inside, and she tried her best too look as surprised to see him there at all as he was to see the direction she was coming from.

"Honey-senpai," she said, trying to sound curious, "what are you doing here so early?"

"I didn't want to be late for my date with Mitsukai-chan!" Honey beamed, recovering quickly.

He opened the door for her, and they both climbed into the limo. Haruhi carefully straightened her skirt to cover her shorts as Honey closed the door, and met his eager smile with one of her own when he sat back in his leather seat and signaled to the driver.

"So, where are we going?" Haruhi asked, trying to keep the knowing tone out of her voice.

"Well," said Honey, his beam widening until she thought his head really would break open, "I was thinking we might go and do something Mitsukai would like to do! We can go anywhere you want!"

It occurred to Haruhi that, in his world, that was honestly possible in all its implications.

"Actually, when I was thinking about our date this week, there was one thing that I thought it might be fun to do with you."

"Yeah?" Honey asked, excited.

"You see, I've always admired you martial arts skills," Haruhi told him, beaming in the face of his dumbfounded expression. This was true, after getting over the initial shock that the tiny loli-boy was perhaps the best marital artist in the world Haruhi had in fact considered how useful a skill like that would be. She herself had never been in a particularly dangerous situation, barring whatever one might call her interactions with the Host Club, but perhaps it would be a good idea to learn to defend herself if ever one should arise.

"You . . . you want me to show you martial arts?" Honey asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"Actually," Haruhi said sheepishly, "I was wondering if maybe you could . . . teach me some?"

Honey didn't speak for a moment, just stared at her blankly as though she had started speaking German. Haruhi hadn't the faintest idea what was going on in his head, and for a moment she wondered if he had heard her at all.

Then his face broke into the biggest smile she had seen on it yet.

"Ok!" he chirped, "Whatever you want to do is fine with me!"

**Author's Note:** AND I THREW IN GRATUITOUS FRENCH! Aren't I awesome! So, the stakes have been raised considerably. Tamaki is willing to bet all his future happiness on the skills of his host club and the goodness of his beloved angel! Ah the poetry! The suspense! The drama! Jeez, now I sound like Tamaki. Sorry I kind of copped out on the date, I will do better with the twins!


End file.
